Coral-ID: A forensically validated genetic test to identify precious coral material and its application to objects seized from illegal traffic.

The production and trade of objects manufactured from the skeletal axis of coralid precious corals is a historically, culturally and economically important global industry. Coralids are members of the diverse Coralliidae family, which contains several species complexes and morphospecies. For most precious coral found in the jewelry trade, the color remains the sole clue and link to the taxonomic identity of the individual.

Endangered predators and endangered prey: Seasonal diet of Southern Resident killer whales.

Understanding diet is critical for conservation of endangered predators. Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW) (Orcinus orca) are an endangered population occurring primarily along the outer coast and inland waters of Washington and British Columbia. Insufficient prey has been identified as a factor limiting their recovery, so a clear understanding of their seasonal diet is a high conservation priority.

Water, water everywhere: environmental DNA can unlock population structure in elusive marine species.

Determining management units for natural populations is critical for effective conservation and management. However, collecting the requisite tissue samples for population genetic analyses remains the primary limiting factor for a number of marine species. The harbour porpoise (), one of the smallest cetaceans in the Northern Hemisphere, is a primary example.

Large-Scale Genotyping-by-Sequencing Indicates High Levels of Gene Flow in the Deep-Sea Octocoral Swiftia simplex (Nutting 1909) on the West Coast of the United States.

Deep-sea corals are a critical component of habitat in the deep-sea, existing as regional hotspots for biodiversity, and are associated with increased assemblages of fish, including commercially important species. Because sampling these species is so difficult, little is known about the connectivity and life history of deep-sea octocoral populations. This study evaluates the genetic connectivity among 23 individuals of the deep-sea octocoral Swiftia simplex collected from Eastern Pacific waters along the west coast of the United States.

Identification of Multiple QTL Hotspots in Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) Using Genotyping-by-Sequencing and a Dense Linkage Map.

Understanding the genetic architecture of phenotypic traits can provide important information about the mechanisms and genomic regions involved in local adaptation and speciation. Here, we used genotyping-by-sequencing and a combination of previously published and newly generated data to construct sex-specific linkage maps for sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). We then used the denser female linkage map to conduct quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis for 4 phenotypic traits in 3 families.

Detection and mapping of QTL for temperature tolerance and body size in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) using genotyping by sequencing.

Understanding how organisms interact with their environments is increasingly important for conservation efforts in many species, especially in light of highly anticipated climate changes. One method for understanding this relationship is to use genetic maps and QTL mapping to detect genomic regions linked to phenotypic traits of importance for adaptation. We used high-throughput genotyping by sequencing (GBS) to both detect and map thousands of SNPs in haploid Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha).

Genotyping by sequencing resolves shallow population structure to inform conservation of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha).

Recent advances in population genomics have made it possible to detect previously unidentified structure, obtain more accurate estimates of demographic parameters, and explore adaptive divergence, potentially revolutionizing the way genetic data are used to manage wild populations. Here, we identified 10 944 single-nucleotide polymorphisms using restriction-site-associated DNA (RAD) sequencing to explore population structure, demography, and adaptive divergence in five populations of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from western Alaska. Patterns of population structure were similar to those of past studies, but our ability to assign individuals back to their region of origin was greatly improved (>90% accuracy for all populations).

Meiotic maps of sockeye salmon derived from massively parallel DNA sequencing.

Background: Meiotic maps are a key tool for comparative genomics and association mapping studies. Next-generation sequencing and genotyping by sequencing are speeding the processes of SNP discovery and the development of new genetic tools, including meiotic maps for numerous species. Currently there are limited genetic resources for sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka.

The effect of short-term hypoxic exposure on metabolic gene expression.

The long-term effect of hypoxia is to decrease both the production and use of ATP and thus decrease the reliance on mitochondrial oxidative energy production. Yet, recent studies include more immediate affects of hypoxia on gene expression and these data suggest the maintenance of mitochondrial function. To better understand the short-term physiological response to hypoxia, we quantified metabolic mRNA expression in the heart ventricles and livers of the teleost fish Fundulus grandis exposed to partial oxygen pressure of 2.

Adaptation versus allometry: population and body mass effects on hypoxic metabolism in Fundulus grandis.

Hypoxia has significant effects on organisms, from metabolic reduction to death, and could be an important evolutionary force affecting the variation among populations within a species. To determine intraspecific variation in hypoxic metabolism and the effect of body mass, we examine rates of oxygen consumption (M(O2)) at seven oxygen concentrations among seven populations of Fundulus grandis that inhabit a mosaic of habitats with different frequencies and intensities of hypoxia. For M(O2), there is a significant interaction (P< 0.

Green evolution and dynamic adaptations revealed by genomes of the marine picoeukaryotes Micromonas.

Picoeukaryotes are a taxonomically diverse group of organisms less than 2 micrometers in diameter. Photosynthetic marine picoeukaryotes in the genus Micromonas thrive in ecosystems ranging from tropical to polar and could serve as sentinel organisms for biogeochemical fluxes of modern oceans during climate change. These broadly distributed primary producers belong to an anciently diverged sister clade to land plants.